A lot of people I know have to drive or ride all the way from Hanover to other towns or cities to go to fun skate parks. The closest skate park that is accessible to the public is in Hanson. There are others in Marshfield, Halifax and Hingham. But why bike or drive so far to have such little time there, if you could go right to our own Town Skate park and have more time and more fun?

Skateboarding and BMX riding has become pretty popular for older kids, and skate parks provide safe ramps and jumps to try out stunts. Young kids who ride scooters or bikes also would LOVE to go to a skate park. That being said, kids wouldn’t be able to have that much fun with the park so far away. How could a parent feel safe while they know their child could be anywhere between their house and the Hanson skate park? Anything could happen between here and there. So why not have our own park built here?! If the town of Hanover builds its own skate park, kids of all ages from little ones to young adults could use the park as they please. Parents would be able to relax knowing their child is still in their hometown, where they know many of the people around them as well as how to get around.

I myself am a founder and Rider of a BMX team (D3CKERZ). But when I want to practice,  or any of my members who live in Hanover want to practice, we have to ride to other parks in Mass. just to train and have fun. The farthest I have gone for a skate park was Hyde Park. I rode my bike all the way there from Quincy. It took us 1 1/2 hours while riding on busy roads. If we are able to get a park built in town, people wouldn’t have to go on busy roads to get to a skate park.

Not only will building a skate park keep kids safer because they will be closer to home, it will give kids a place to go that allows skating and biking instead of them getting into trouble. Without a skate park, kids are tempted to improvise, using busy parking lots, railings, stairs, curbs, benches and so on to create an obstacle course. This can make homeowners and business owners angry, and lead to injuries.

There are places around Hanover that a skate park easily could be built and monitored. One of them is Sylvester field. With the basketball court, tennis court, baseball field and playground already there, a skate park would be even more fun for kids to go to right in the center of town!! The field is big enough for a good-sized park that would easily be accessible. Not only could it be used by the public, but on days like Hanover Day, the town could hold a BMX/SKATEBOARD/SCOOTER Event just like the basketball events they already do!

On average, a skate park in Massachusetts can cost about $300,000 to build and keep in good condition. “How do we get so much money to build a skate park?” you might ask. Well, it will take a good amount of time before we can reach the goal, but we can have fund-raisers, apply for state and federal grants, and seek donations from local businesses.

I am collecting signatures for a petition to present to Town Hall about the idea. I need the signatures to get town officials to consider the idea. If you would like to support the effort to bring a skate park in town, contact me by going to the Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Hanover-a-Skate-Park/233639586822352?ref=hl